The Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust is committed to improving the patient experience.
Providing quality information to all patients with a cancer diagnosis and their carers underpins that goal. It is accepted good practice for our patients to receive verbal information supported by high quality written information throughout their contact with our services.
Good Information
- Is given at the right time, in the right amount
- Is personalised, reliable, understandable and evidence-based
- Helps the patient to understand and recall the advice which the health professional has given to them
- Helps to ensure that treatment guidance is complied with
- Promotes the partnership between the professional and the patient
- Helps the patient to give truly informed consent and make decisions about their care and treatment
Timely and relevant
People affected by cancer need information that is timely and relevant to enable them to make decisions about their care and treatment. One of the challenges with cancer information is that there is a huge volume of material available some of which will only be relevant at a particular point in time in a patient’s cancer experience. It can be difficult for patients and others affected by cancer to identify the most relevant information, unless they are offered some initial information and the opportunity to discuss this and to request more.
In response to this challenge, at both national and local level, a lot of work has been undertaken and will continue, to develop Cancer Information Pathways that contain high-quality information relevant to specific cancers at key points in the care pathway.
What is an Information Prescription?
Information Prescriptions have been included explicitly in the plan for Cancer Services in England. They are a source of key information on conditions, services and care that is seamlessly and formally integrated into the care process. They provide a way for us to meet patients’ rights to information to support choice and to enable people to be involved in discussions and decisions about their care, as set out in the NHS Constitution. An information prescription tells patients and carers about:
- Their condition and treatment options
- Care services
- Benefits support
- Local and national self help and support groups
It will also tell patients where to find out more information, with contact details and website addresses that they might find useful.
How will Information Prescriptions be dispensed?
An information prescription can be dispensed `on the spot’ using a variety of formats, for example, verbal, booklets, leaflets and via interactive Information prescription system; and with the patient’s consent, sent via email (direct to the patient, carer or an appropriate information centre), or by post.
The Trust has a trained team of healthcare professionals and other staff who will assess individual information needs and prescribe and/or dispense information prescriptions to meet those needs. Some have also been trained to train, help and support others to do the same. More information about Information Prescriptions can be obtained locally from:
- The Health Information Support Service/Macmillan Cancer Information Support Services based at the main entrance of the Hospital on C Level.
Further Information